Taste your tequila the RIGHT way Feb 20 '02    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Spirits and Beers Seagrams Extra Smooth Spirits and Beers From $11 The Bottom Line Trash those shot glasses. Learn the RIGHT way to sample an enjoy your tequila. You will be doing yourself a big favor! I wrote this primer a while ago, but seems only a few of you have been able to find it (back on those days there was NOT a specific section at Epinions to do this kind of reviews, so...), Since I still get a lot of petitions for this specific topic, I guess IŽll be a good sport and share it with you once again. You want to learn how to REALLY appreciate the differences and virtues betwen all those tequila brands? Then, you must understand that the true secret is all about COMPARISON. But first you must have the knowledge on the basic steps of REAL tequila tasting techniques. Since smell and taste are basically CHEMICAL senses, you must understand that an adaptation process must take place every time you try a new tequila. 80% of what we precieve as "taste" is actually a "scent" (thats why nothing seems to have flavor when you have a cold or sinus congestion...), so understanding this is crucial in teaching your senses to catch the differences among alcoholic beverages, specially complex ones like tequila, cognac or wine. Since tequila is a distilled spirit, and has greater alcohol levels per volume, you cannot apply the same techiques for wine tasting, since tequila packs a much more powerful punch in the mouth and palate. Follow these simple steps to achieve a correct tequila tasting technique, and PRACTICE often to polish up your organoleptic abilities...you will begin enjoying your tequilas a lot more...trust me. 1.- Always use a snifter, or better yet: THE NEW TEQUILA GLASS by RIEDEL. Please stop using those ugly and riduculous "shot" glasses.The shape of the first two tipes of glass is made to concentrate the bouquet towards your nose, and remember that there are 3 different "sniffing areas" in the glass when it is correctly tilted towards your nose: a) The "lower rim" (where you pick the basic elements of the spirit). b) The midsection or transition, where you are supposed to identify the dominant notes of its bouquet. c) The upper rim, where you will have to concentrate to identify and unveil the secondary elements such as floral, herbal, wood and spice accents. Pour just enough tequila to reach the point where the glass begins to straighen (about 1.5 oz.), just below the curve where the tequila is contained. NEVER FILL THE GLASS! 2.- Stirr and move the tequila around, as vigorously and circular a motion you can perfor, and place your nose about one inch away from the rim, inhaling in a paused and relaxed way. Let your nose pick the agave notes, and learn to uncover the secrets behind most tequilas bouquet. 3.- Let the tip of your tongue get in contact with the tequila, and savor it inside your mouth. This will adapt your tongue for the following events, and your senses will awaken for the experience. Repeat after the sting feels less aggresive in your tongue. 4.- Take a SMALL sip, enough to fully moisten your tongue, keep it there for 3 seconds, and swallow. Feel the warmth in your throat and your retronasal passage tingle with the aroma, as you exhale SLOWLY with your mouth open. 5.- Now you are ready for the real experience. Smell the snifter, inhale and take a good sip, and swallow slowly. Now its time for exhalation, slow and deep. This will enable you to analize the character of your tequila: do you sense the sweetness of agave, the elegant tones from the oak barrels? Your tongue must feel moist and delicately numb, not harsh or bitter. 6.- pLEASE NOTE THAT flavors and sensations will feel different if you perform repeated, slow and deep inhale-exhale routines with your mouth open or shut. Concentrate on the sensations that show in your lower throat, retronasal passages (just below your upper palate), and enjoy every signal your receptors send upstairs. If you taste more than just one tequila, use plain water, about half glass to wash the previous traces. Never try more than 3 different brands or types at once, cause you will simply lose the ability to diferentiate correctly after 8 or 9 oz. tequila. ENJOY

Read all comments (3)|Write your own comment

Write an essay on this topic.